The Author's Room |
Note from the Washington State Library: In order to participate in the Winter 2002 Washington State Databases Trial, each vendor was asked to address questions the Statewide Database Licensing Committee felt were most critical in order for library staff to evaluate products and vendors. Please contact the vendor's representative, listed below, for additional information on this product.
1. Describe the database product(s). If you want us to link to more than one product, provide a unique description for each product. Be sure we know what information belongs with each product. If there are special hardware or software needs, please make sure you include them in this description. When you provide a description of your product, please go beyond the typical advertising brochure text. We are hoping for a thoughtful, descriptive paragraph that will enable someone unfamiliar with your product to understand the nature and coverage of your product. The more concise the description, the better.
"The Authors Room" is PreviewPort's first database product for the library market. Having spent the last two years dedicated to creating the most in-depth and interactive reference resource for today's living authors, PreviewPort is proud to bring readers and writers together via the web. The Authors Room presents libraries with the unique opportunity to provide a tremendous service to their patron community: interaction with today’s leading authors. The Authors Room connects readers and writers through weekly author-hosted discussions, author guest books, active writing workshops, exclusive interviews, engaging audio and video readings, original short works, a national literary calendar, personal biographies, author photos and the 20 LIST, our own author-member reading recommendations. With over 10,000 authors, and additional authors entering our system daily, the opportunities to interact and learn from today's leading authors are endless.
The Authors Room provides libraries with a primary source reference tool and patron resource. With a subscription to The Authors Room, you can:
- Research contemporary authors’ biographies, photos, bibliographies, articles, reviews, and other primary source information
- Sponsor an online discussion with leading authors in partnership with other educational institutions or participating libraries
- View exclusive video interviews
- Learn about what authors are reading and discover works-in-progress
- Listen to original audio/video readings by the authors
- Publicize your library’s events in the National Literary Calendar
- Schedule author appearances at your library using authors’ professional contact listings
Research past discussions by Maxine Hong Kingston and Bebe Moore Campbell, and look for upcoming discussions by Elinor Lipman and Sue William Silverman; interviews with acclaimed author Bell Hooks, Ann Crittenden (author of The Price of Motherhood), and Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation); video interviews with Mario Vargas Llosa, Brian Jacques, and Michael Chabon, and audio segments from Debra Sparks, Jerome Charyn, and Lorene Cary. In order to access a demo of The Authors Room, simply go to www.authorsroom.com, and click on 'Not a Member? Find Out More' and register for your free demo trial to The Authors Room. Please note: to view our video and audio files, you will need Windows Media Player or RealPlayer.
2. Is remote access included for the subscription price? If there are additional charges or requirements in order to offer remote access, please describe. What methods of remote access are supported? If applicable, please discuss any methods or assistance you offer regarding remote access patron verification and authentication.
All subscriptions to The Authors Room include remote access. All typical methods of remote access are supported. However, we recommend and encourage that libraries handle patron verification and authentication.
3. What customer training is provided, and at what cost? Please include "freebies" such as Web-based tutorials, end-user documentation tents, cheat-sheets, etc.
The Authors Room was designed from the ground up, providing the opportunity to create one of the most user-friendly products in the market. PreviewPort has received strong accolades for the usability of its products. Therefore, The Authors Room should be easy to use for library professionals and patrons alike with minimal training. However, documentation will be provided that fully explains how to use the product, and answer any basic questions you may have. On-site training can also be provided if necessary, of course.
4. What customer and technical support is provided, including hours of operation? In your reply, please include contact names (if applicable) or name of department, the phone numbers and e-mail addresses for your support services. If you have toll-free access to these support centers, please make sure they are available here.
PreviewPort technical and customer support can be reached via the product's website, calling toll-free at 1-888-408-PORT, or via e-mail at [email protected], between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. CST. In case of emergencies, an emergency line will also be provided to paying subscribers.
5. Please describe the statistics you provide, and discuss whether your statistical reporting complies in part or in whole with the guidelines developed by the International Coalition of Library Consortia found at http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia/webstats.html
We are currently in the process of reviewing the guidelines provided by the International Coalition of Library Consortia. As The Authors Room was created on a web-based platform, we are confident that we will be in full compliance with the standards set forth by the ICOLC prior to the end of 2002. We currently provide reporting statistics on the aggregate number of users that view individual pages of content on The Authors Room.
6. Describe your pricing structure or formula for the product. If there are additional costs for retrieving full text, describe the pricing for this service. (Note: This question means - we want to know what your list prices are and how you calculate your prices: Based on FTEs? On buildings? On a combination, or on something else?)
If you cannot provide a standard price list that
would enable each library to understand their cost to subscribe, then
for each product you must tell us the list price that you would charge
these hypothetical libraries.
a. Library A: A high school library with 750 students in grades 9-12
b. Library B: A public library that serves a population of 100,000 and
has two branches
c. Library C: A public library that serves a population of 20,000 and
has only one building, no branches
d. Library D: A community college library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent
students
e. Library E: A four-year academic library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent
students
f. Library F: A hospital library serving a hospital that employees 1,000
staff plus has 200 doctors attached to the hospital
The Authors Room will be priced based on a number of factors, but weighted upon the number of FTEs for a given institution/library. This will essentially be a per-FTE cost, built on a sliding scale that provides greater discounts the larger the institution. One price will be used for a given institution, regardless of the number of physical buildings or remote users. It is our intention to provide The Authors Room to as large a population base as possible, thus increasing the value of the product to the larger community of libraries nationwide. The pricing provided below is for an annual subscription. We will be offering an across-the-board discount of 25% to any libraries that contact us prior to March 1st. Prices below are pre-discount or consortium pricing:
- Library A, a high school library with 750 students in grades 9-12: $400.
- Library B, a public library that serves a population of 100,000 and has two branches: $9.750.
- Library C, a public library that serves a population of 20,000 and has only one building, no branches: $4,000.
- Library D, a community college library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent students: $2,000.
- Library E, a four-year academic library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent students: $2,500.
- Library F, a hospital library serving a hospital that employees 1,000 staff plus has 200 attached to the hospital: N/A.
7. If a library subscribes to any of your products as a result of this trial, will their future subscription rates continue to reflect any savings or discount they may receive today?
If a library subscribes for two years, they will receive the same subscription rate in the second year, despite our expectations of growing the content base of The Authors Room significantly over the next two years.
8. What is the minimum participation level (however you care to define it) that would be needed to allow participating libraries to receive a discount? What is the minimum discount for a group buy? How will you treat existing library customers with regard to a group buy?
We will offer a discount if at least five libraries intend to subscribe. The minimum discount for a group buy will be 10%. Existing customers will receive in effect a 'credit' toward their next year's subscription.
9. Please provide the name and contact information (toll-free telephone number, e-mail address, hours, etc.) for libraries to make further inquires. (Sales representatives for our area preferred.)
If interested in a subscription to The Authors Room, please contact David Hunt, Director of Business Development, by calling 312-726-5336, or toll-free at 888-408-PORT. David can also be reached via e-mail at [email protected].